Bombs Over Flowers
by Amarielah
Summary: A sort-of fusion between Hana Yori Dango and Reborn. Sawada Tsunayoshi, a commoner, is pressured into going to Namimori Academy by his less-than-wealthy family. He wanted to keep a low profile. Too bad Reborn had to show up. GokuTsuna AU
1. The Baby with the Gun

Summary: A sort-of fusion between Hana Yori Dango and Reborn. Sawada Tsunayoshi, a commoner, is pressured into going to Namimori Academy by his less-than-wealthy family. All he wants to do is to keep a low profile and stay out of everybody's way. But then a talking baby with some magical bullets comes along, and everything goes to hell. GokuTsuna AU

Disclaimer: I own neither Reborn nor Hana Yori Dango.

A/N: Alas, the most recent Korean adaptation of Hanadan has inspired me. I say this is a sort-of fusion because, while the basic premise, and some of the plot, is similar to that of Hanadan, everything is going to be modified to account for the fact that a) the characters are themselves, and not the folks from Hanadan, b) I still want to incorporate the mafia and cracky weaponry of Reborn! (but not necessarily all of them), c) the main relationship is homosexual, which I will _not _try to sweep under the carpet or ignore. In other words, if you're expecting a retelling of Hanadan with the names just replaced with those of Reborn characters, you've come to the wrong place.

Oh yeah: for the sake of convenience, the Dying Will Bullet doesn't cause a person to lose his clothing in this fic.

Warnings: Slash, het, language, violence. (Yes, thar shall be some het.)

Extra note: Unbetaed. If you spot any errors, please feel free to tell me.

Other pairings to look out for, as of this chapter: One-sided Tsuna/Kyoko, Longchamp/girls, and Hibari/Namimori.

**Bombs Over Flowers**

**Chapter One: The Baby with the Gun**

Sawada Tsunayoshi was not rich, athletic, or all that much of an academic. He had no ambition, and was a shy, passive person by nature. In spite of this, one day, just before his final week of middle school, his mother had announced (in that cheerful way she announced everything) that he was to attend Namimori Academy--an elite school designed for the upper crust of Japanese society.

"B-but where are you going to get the money to send me there?"

His mother had smiled and said, "Your father and I will take care of it. Don't worry."

Tsuna had waved his hands in front of his face. "I don't mind going to a normal high school. Really! I'll even study as hard as I can to do well on the entrance exams." What he didn't say was: _Dad's never here. Why does he get a say in where I go to school?_

"We've already enrolled you, Tsu-kun." And then she had served him another helping of curry, as if that was the end of the discussion. Tsuna wanted to ask why; he wanted to protest. But he knew it would do no good. His mother was good-natured, and he had never seen her really become angry at anything, but she had a stubbornness about her--a will that was only fueled by her optimism. It made it difficult to argue with her, because it just made him feel guilty.

That's how Tsuna ended up in a school designed to educate the elites of society, populated by the heirs and heiresses to multi-national corporations, and the children of celebrities. Tsuna knew that he was no elite, and, unfortunately for him, so did everybody else. But he kept to himself, and didn't make any trouble. It had worked for him in middle school, and it seemed to work at Namimori Academy. The problem was that trouble had a way of finding people at Namimori, because of a certain group of boys and their Red Notes.

"Ah!" squealed one of ring-leader girls, pointing a perfectly manicured nail in the direction of three figures swaggering into the school cafeteria. "It's F3!"

The students, including Tsuna himself, made a path for the three boys to come through. At the helm was Romano Hayato, heir apparent to the famed Romano corporation. He was a tall boy with chin-length silver hair. His gait was that of a predator on the prowl, and he had a perpetual scowl on his face, which only seemed to go away when he was smirking. In spite of the menace that practically seemed to ooze out of Romano's very being, Tsuna could see that he was, simply put, devastatingly handsome. In a way, this made him even more frightening. Flanking him on the right was Hibari Kyoya, the only son of two notable politicians. He was the only one of the three that actually bothered to wear the school uniform. In contrast to Romano, Hibari was aloof and haughty. But no less menacing, and, from the horror stories Tsuna had overheard, no less violent. Naito Longchamp--future head of the infamous Tomasu family, the family which purportedly ran the Japanese underworld-- flanked Romano on his left. Unlike his two companions, he was happy pretty much all the time (to the point of being manic, even). And although he didn't actively participate in F3's antics, he did nothing to stop them.

These boys' families contributed so much money to Namimori that the three of them could do pretty much anything they wanted. And they took full advantage of this privilege.

Tsuna hurried over to a vacant table once the hubbub had died down, unwrapping the bento his mother had prepared. Sighing a little, he started to eat, trying to ignore that sneers that people threw his way as they passed him to get to their own tables. It didn't really make him angry--just nervous. Tsuna lived in fear of the day when their sneers would turn into outright violence, of the day when he would receive a Red Note of his own. Because Tsuna had a tendency to be clumsy and put his foot in mouth, he figured that it was only a matter of time.

Tsuna had reason to fear the Red Note.

The Red Note was F3's ultimate tool for retribution against those who had slighted them--no matter how small that slight may be. Tsuna had once seen a boy get a Red Note for just _looking _at Romano the wrong way. Tsuna would never forget the look of sheer horror on the boy's face as he had opened his locker and seen the Red Note hanging from the top of it, almost innocently. It had taken just a few moments for people to notice the thing, and then the boy had been dragged, kicking and screaming, to the foyer at the school's entrance, where Romano and his posse had been waiting. Although Tsuna had lacked the stomach to watch it himself, he could remember how that boy had looked for weeks after the Note incident: two black eyes and a swollen lip, a wince every time he sat down at his desk. And even then, the boy was still pelted with eggs and other unsavory items on a regular basis. Just thinking about it made Tsuna shiver.

_Why the hell am I staying at this hellhole of a school? _He thought, chewing slowly on a rice ball. However much it pained him to admit it, though, he was stuck here for another four years. There was no escape.

"Tsuna...kun?" asked a female voice. That was odd, thought Tsuna, swallowing. He could swear that he'd heard that voice somewhere before.

He looked up to see who was talking to him, and found himself faced with somebody he had been sure he would never see again. His heart skipped a beat as he took in that heart-shaped face-- the silky, shoulder-length hair, the warm brown eyes. "K-Kyoko-san?" he asked, not quite believing it.

Kyoko smiled at him. "You and I went to elementary school together, right? You sat next to me in fourth grade."

Tsuna nodded, feeling his cheeks heat. He had harbored an enormous crush on Sasagawa Kyoko ever since the first day he had met her. Even now, years after he had last seen her face, he could feel his heart accelerating inside of his chest from the sight of her smile. "Why are you here?" he asked, immediately slapping a hand over his mouth and grimacing. How could he be so rude? "I mean--what brings you Namimori?"

Kyoko didn't seem to notice his mistake, and took the liberty of sitting next to him, taking out a bento of her own. "My father sold his investments in real estate before the bubble burst, and now we suddenly have money to spare. Ryohei--my big brother, I don't know if you remember him--has finally been able to pursue his dream of becoming a boxer. And Father decided it was a good idea to send me here." The last part was said with less enthusiasm than the rest of it. "How did _you_ end up here, Tsuna-kun?"

"My parents are crazy," he said, before he could stop himself.

Kyoko laughed. "Don't worry--I know the feeling. But at least I've finally found a familiar face. Let's be friends, Tsuna-kun."

Tsuna's blush deepened, and he felt a pleasant warmth expanding in his chest. Kyoko wanted to be his friend! He smiled a little and nodded, saying, "It'll be good to have somebody who understands what_ real people _have to go through."

Kyoko laughed again. "I agree."

Tsuna went home that day with a skip in his step. His house was a good half hour away from the school by bus; a fairly large house, which his father had inherited when Tsuna's grandfather had passed away. He sometimes wished that his parents would just sell the damn thing, since only he and his mother seemed to live in it. That way, he wouldn't feel like his mother was always pinching pennies for the sake of sending him to a school he hated.

He cried out "I'm home!" as he walked through the front door, and immediately felt a chill run down his spine. Why did he have the feeling that something terrible was about to happen? Grimacing, Tsuna walked into the kitchen, putting his backpack down next to the table in the center of it. His mother was by the stove, cooking something which smelled good. But he couldn't find it in himself to look forward to it--his good mood had been completely ruined by the feeling of foreboding that was churning away in his stomach.

"Welcome home," said his mother, turning around to give him a smile. "I have a surprise for you!"

Just then, Tsuna felt like he was being watched, and another chill ran down his spine. He turned around reluctantly, and found himself face to face with a...baby? He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. And yes, it was definitely a baby. A foreigner baby dressed up in a designer suit, a black hat tilted stylishly atop its head.

Tsuna blinked.

"Ciaossu," said the baby.

"I'd like you to meet your new home tutor," said his mother. "His name is Reborn."

Tsuna wanted to say something, but all he could muster was what sounded like a cross between a whine and a gurgle.

"I'm here to whip you into shape," said Reborn. Tsuna noticed what looked like a chameleon walking along the rim of the baby's hat.

His mother nodded. "Your grades have been falling, Tsu-kun. Reborn will help you to achieve your true potential."

"Our first lesson starts today," said Reborn. "Go up to your bedroom so we can begin."

Tsuna couldn't find it in himself to protest, still reeling from the fact that there was a _talking baby _standing in front of him. He trudged weakly up to his room, and awaited his 'lesson'.

___

It turned out the Tsuna's 'lesson' had less to do with improving his grades, and more to do with about two hundred push-ups. Reborn had insisted that the exercise would be good for Tsuna's blood flow, which would in turn make him do better in his schoolwork. But Tsuna was having trouble thinking, on account of the burning pain that had begun to take over his entire body. To make matters worse, Reborn had hit Tsuna with a blunt object whenever he dared to take a break.

In his dreams, Tsuna could still hear the baby's adorable, deceptively innocent voice saying, _"Going to give up again, No-Good Tsuna?"_

He woke up in agony.

And remained in agony as he grabbed a quick breakfast, rode the bus to school, and walked past the shuffling rich people to get to his class. He did his best to pay attention, but ended up falling asleep during English. He was awoken by the bell which signaled lunchtime. He walked to the cafeteria in a daze, and caught sight of Kyoko waiting for him. Suddenly, he felt the tiniest bit better.

They sat down together, and pulled out their respective bentos. "You look a bit under the weather, Tsuna-kun. Are you feeling alright?"

"I just had trouble sleeping," he replied. It wasn't like he could tell her about his abusive talking-baby tutor.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'll get you some tea, okay?"

Tsuna smiled gratefully, but said, "You don't have to trouble yourself. I'll be fine."

Kyoko gave him a smile which, oddly enough, reminded him of his mother. "It's no trouble at all." She stood up before he could protest again, and walked over to the lone vending machine tucked away in a corner of the cafeteria (although it still had over-the-top prices, like everything else in Namimori). As she walked back holding a steaming cup of tea, though, somebody--probably one of the people who whispered about Tsuna behind his back--threw a piece of food at her. She managed to dodge it, but lost her footing in the process, stumbling directly into a person who was making his way to the stairs at the far side of the room. The tea came splashing out of her cup, landing messily on the person's designer jacket.

That person, to Tsuna's abject horror, was Romano Hayato.

"Oi," said Romano, scowling a little deeper.

"I'm so sorry!" said Kyoko, looking as horrified as Tsuna felt. "Please forgive me for being such a klutz. I'll pay for the cleaning costs."

Romano took off the soiled jacket and dumped it on the floor, leaving him nothing but a white tank top. "Cleaning costs? Don't insult me, you clumsy bitch."

"I'm sorry," she said again, looking close to tears. Tsuna felt panic set in, along with a healthy dose of anger. He clenched his fists and felt his own eyes sting in frustration; he was too much of a coward to do anything.

"Stop apologizing. It's annoying." Romano cocked his head to the side, snarling. "Why do you even think that I care if you're sorry?"

Tsuna could see where this was going. The thought that Kyoko would get a Red Note made him feel nauseous. But what could he possibly do? Even if he mustered the courage to stand up to Romano, he'd just end up being beaten down.

"Time for a lesson, No-Good Tsuna," said an eerily familiar, child-like voice. Tsuna figured that his fear was making him imagine things. But then he felt something warm hitting his forehead.

There was a sensation of falling, a realization of _I'm going to die, and I never would have gotten to help the girl that I like._ A switch flipped inside of his brain. A strange excitement buzzed through him, crackling along his skin like static electricity. With a clarity he had never before experienced, Tsuna knew exactly what it is that he had to do, and how.

"REBORN! I'LL STAND UP FOR KYOKO WITH MY DYING WILL!" He stormed over to Romano, grabbing the taller boy by the front of his tank top. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, YOU ASSHOLE! TRY AND SHOW A LITTLE BIT OF UNDERSTANDING!"

A look of insurmountable rage crossed over Romano's handsome features. "The hell, you fucking commoner! Let me go or you'll be sorry!"

Tsuna did let him go, but he didn't back down. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?! YOU THINK YOU'RE SO GREAT BECAUSE YOU'RE RICH, BUT YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A SPOILED BRAT!"

Romano lunged forward. "Fucker! I'll kill you!"

Tsuna dodged the punch, and used the opportunity to throw one of his own. It landed squarely on Romano's jaw, the force of it sending him flying several feet across the floor. And just like that, the strange resolve that had overtaken Tsuna died away, leaving him feeling confused and, more than anything, terrified.

_What the hell did I just DO?!_

Romano was pushing himself up, his expression unreadable. Tsuna could see blood dripping from the side of his mouth. "This isn't over," he said, wiping it away with the back of his hand. He then stalked out of the cafeteria, followed by his two subordinates. Longchamp didn't seem fazed, but Habiri glanced back at Tsuna, looking thoughtful.

The cafeteria was dead quiet as Tsuna returned to his table. He could feel the eyes of everybody trained on him like hawks tracking a single mouse. Because they knew, just like he did, that tomorrow his peaceful existence was going to come to an end.

He felt two delicate arms wrapping around him. "Thank you," said Kyoko, sniffling a little. "Thank you, Tsuna-kun."

Although no less fearful of what tomorrow would bring, Tsuna felt himself smile. Maybe, just maybe, it had been worth it. He hugged her back, the world outside of their embrace melting into insignificance.

Hidden out of sight, Reborn gave a smile of his own. "Tomorrow," he said, "the real training begins."


	2. Retribution

Chapter summary: Tsuna freaks out, Romano takes his revenge, and Kyoko is well-meaning, but a little naïve. And has brother issues.

Disclaimer: I own neither Reborn nor Hana Yori Dango.

Claimer: I own the school nurse, even though she won't be around for very long.

A/N: I'm trying to flesh out Kyoko and Nana a bit more, since I think they're both important parts of Tsuna's life, and—as much as I love Reborn!—I feel like they're not explored enough in the manga.

Also, since many people have been asking me about it: Romano is Gokudera. The reason why his family name has changed will be explained later.

Warnings: Language, violence, slash, het.

Extra note: I would just like to assure my readers that this is going to be a GokuTsuna fic. It's just going to take a bit of time to develop, given the way their lives have been altered.

Unbetaed. If you see any errors, or have any criticisms about characterization, please feel free to tell me.

**Bombs Over Flowers**

**Chapter Two: Retribution**

That night, Tsuna was faced once more with Reborn's idea of tutoring. But this time, it came with an extra surprise.

"You must be wondering why I've decided to become your home tutor," said Reborn, like being a talking baby was _completely normal. _

Tsuna just sat in his chair, nonplussed. Because it was suddenly dawning on him that--hey--Reborn was a TALKING BABY. It had taken a day to really process this fact, and now that he had, he was more than a little freaked out. It didn't help that he was pretty sure today was the last day he had to live.

Reborn was unfazed by his silence, or the fact that Tsuna's eyes were probably about as wide as saucers. "You have been selected to become the next boss of the Vongola family."

"...Vongola?" he finally managed to say.

"The Vongola family is powerful organization in the Italian mafia, No-Good Tsuna. So you have to be strong if you're going to lead it."

"WHO SAID I WANTED TO LEAD IT?!"

The baby ignored him. "It seems that more tutoring is in order."

Tsuna, in a fit of sudden, intense frustration, let out a mighty yell. Well, perhaps not _mighty_. Rather, it was high-pitched and girly and sounded not unlike he was yelling out "HEEEE". The satisfaction of this yell lasted only as long as it took for Reborn to smack him over the head with a pole (which may or may not have been a chameleon a few moments earlier—but Tsuna was trying very hard not to think about that), at which point the satisfaction was replaced with pain.

Tsuna wanted to hide beneath his covers like he had as a small child, afraid of the monsters under his bed. But there would be no sanctuary from this; Reborn--the talking baby from Italy--was smarter, stronger, and more determined than Tsuna was.

And so, when Reborn told him that it was time for another lesson, Tsuna complied, even as he decided that the Vongola family could find somebody else to be their boss. Somebody who wasn't No-Good Tsuna.

This was all assuming, of course, that the past day hadn't all been the product of a very detailed and realistic hallucination.

__

Here it was, thought Tsuna, stepping up to his locker. The moment of truth. With trembling hands, he opened it. Sure enough, the red slip of paper had been taped to the metal band at the top of the locker, a large black F3 printed on the front. He barely had time to think before he felt arms hoisting him off of his feet, carrying him like a rag-doll to the place where he would meet his retribution. Sure enough, when Tsuna was planted on his feet again, he found himself faced with Romano, who was lounging in an armchair that was so fancy it may as well have been a throne. Hibari was leaning against the wall, looking bored, and Longchamp was texting somebody on his cellphone.

Romano was scowling, like always. "Hold him," he instructed gruffly, and Tsuna felt somebody grabbing both of his arms, twisting them behind his back.

Tsuna grimaced in pain, tears springing involuntarily to his eyes. Why had Reborn insisted that he go to school that day? He trembled in fear as Romano stalked closer, and wondered if begging would help him. Instantly, he felt ashamed of how pathetic he was. He really did deserve to be called No-Good Tsuna. In any case, it wasn't like begging had helped any of the other people that had received Red Notes; and Tsuna was pretty sure that none of them had managed to punch Romano in the face.

"You have one chance," said Romano. "Beg for my forgiveness, and I may decide to make this short."

Tsuna averted his eyes. In his mind's eye, he could see the thankful smile that had dimpled Kyoko's cheeks, and the sensation of her arms wrapped around him lingered pleasantly in his memory. He wasn't going to betray those memories, he decided. No matter how tempting. He pursed his lips together.

"Not gonna say anything?" asked Romano. The boy's nostrils flared, and Tsuna felt a fist connecting with his abdomen. He couldn't stop himself from crying out and doubling over reflexively, although it sounded more like a wheeze than a scream. The tears spilled over, stinging his cheeks. Romano stepped back. "How about now?"

Tsuna couldn't have said anything even if he wanted to. It was difficult to breath, and the pain had him practically paralyzed. Romano didn't have much patience, though, and hit him again in the stomach. Without giving Tsuna so much as a moment to recover, Romano backhanded him hard across his left cheek. Tsuna fought off the impulse to retch onto the floor, but tasted the bile on his tongue, along with the metallic tang of blood.

"Stop it!" cried a female voice. With what little remained of his strength, Tsuna raised his head. He could just barely make out who it was through the tears blurring his vision.

_Kyoko...san..._

"Please," she pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "He was only trying to help me. If you want to punish somebody, please let it be me!" This earned her boos and heckles from the crowd, but she stood resolute in spite of her blatant distress.

Romano looked at her, sneering. "You think I give a shit about the chivalrous act, bitch?"

"I don't--" she began, but Romano cut her off.

"Let him go," he said, gesturing sharply to the boys holding Tsuna in place.

Abruptly, Tsuna was released, and he collapsed onto his knees, reeling in agony.

"I'll make you a deal," said Romano. "You fight me, one on one. I win, and your little girlfriend gets a Red Note. You win, and both of you are let off the hook." Tsuna felt a foot nudge him in the back. "So how about it, fucker? You game?"

Tsuna swallowed thickly, and struggled to get to his feet. "I accept," he said, voice trembling.

"Don't do this, Tsuna-kun," said Kyoko. "Please...you'll only be hurt more."

"It's okay," he said, giving her a weak smile. "I'll do my best, Kyoko-san."

For the first time, Romano's lips twisted into a smirk. If anything, it was an even uglier expression than his scowl. "You heard him." As if on cue, the crowd moved back, creating a circle in which the two of them could fight. Tsuna wished at that moment that the conviction of yesterday would return to him. But that certainty--that drive--was lost to him, and no amount of wishing could bring it back. And Tsuna didn't really know how to fight; he'd spent his entire life trying his best to avoid confrontation.

Which was why, when Romano lunged at him, fists flying, Tsuna didn't even have the good sense to dodge. The impact sent him reeling, and he fell to floor once more, blood dripping from a split bottom lip. He wondered, through the pain, if Romano was going to start kicking him. But he didn't. Instead, he said, "That punch yesterday must have been a fluke. You aren't even worth my time." He then turned to Kyoko. "Why you'd try to stand up for such a pathetic weakling is beyond me. But I'm sure the Red Note will teach you your lesson."

Romano left the foyer, and the crowd dispersed soon after. Once the foyer was empty, Kyoko rushed over to where Tsuna was shaking on the floor. "I'm going to get the school nurse, okay? Everything's going to be alright, Tsuna-kun. I swear it."

And then the world went black.

__

When Tsuna woke up, the first thing he became aware of was that absolutely every part of him was throbbing in pain. The second thing that he became of was that he was lying on a hospital bed, and that somebody was holding his hand.

"Tsuna-kun? I'm so glad that you've woken up!"

He rolled his head to the side, and found Kyoko gazing worriedly at him with her big brown eyes.

"I guess…it isn't so bad," he said, trying his best to smile. By the look on her face, he probably did not succeed.

"What is it with boys going to ridiculous lengths to prove a point?" There was no bite in her tone—just sadness.

Tsuna got the feeling that this wasn't the first time Kyoko had been faced with situation of this nature. "I wasn't really trying to prove a point. But…" he almost wanted to tell her that he had done it for her sake. But really, that would be selfish, no matter how true it was. Tsuna had no desire to make her feel any more guilty than she probably did already, even though the only person at fault was Romano.

"But?" she prompted.

Tsuna turned his head on his pillow, looking away. "It's nothing," he said. "Just…thank you. For standing up for me, even though I don't deserve it."

"If you weren't lying in the infirmary right now, I would slap you," said Kyoko, with that same sadness in her voice.

"E-eh?"

"You don't get to say things like that about yourself, because they're not true. Romano-sempai only said those things because he wanted to hurt you more."

Romano's words only hurt because they were true, thought Tsuna. But he didn't voice this. Instead, he let out a weak sound of agreement. He'd always thought that he wanted to make a good impression on Kyoko—but now that he had, he almost felt like he was deceiving her, and that it was only a matter of time before she realized he was not only useless, but a liar as well.

"Am I interrupting something?" asked a second female voice.

"No," said Kyoko and Tsuna in unison. Kyoko said it with a hint of surprise, like she didn't quite understand what the nurse _could _have been interrupting. Tsuna, on the other hand, stammered the word as he said it, blushing.

Tsuna discovered that the voice emanated from a plump woman in her mid-to-late thirties. "Sasagawa-san," said the woman. "I would like to take a full examination of Sawada-kun, now that he's awake."

Kyoko nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry for getting in your way." She stood up and walked out of the infirmary, pausing at the door to give Tsuna a warm, genuine smile. "I'll organize somebody to take you home while I'm waiting for Nurse Miura to finish. So don't worry, alright?"

This time, Tsuna managed to smile as well. He knew this from the way his left cheek stung at the movement of his facial muscles. "Thanks, Kyoko-san."

__

Kyoko held to her promise, and even arranged for a wheelchair. It turned out that Tsuna had sustained some pretty bad bruising, but nothing too grievous. Still, he was grateful at not having to walk just yet. His stomach was unbelievably sore.

She pushed the wheelchair up to his front door, and waved goodbye as his mother wheeled Tsuna into his house. His mother then helped him out of the wheelchair, and supported him as he walked up the stairs to his bedroom.

She was uncharacteristically quiet as she did these things, her face drawn into something that was not quite a frown, because her eyebrows weren't pulled far enough together; but her lips were pinched in a hard line.

His mother also helped him change into his pajamas, and even went so far as to tuck him into bed. Once the covers were pulled up around Tsuna's shoulders, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his forehead, brushing some hair out of his face.

"Sleep well, Tsu-kun," she said. It was the first time she had spoken since he had come home.

"I'll try," he replied, confused at her behavior, and not quite sure how to deal with it. But, even though it was a little bit embarrassing (he was sixteen, after all—not a little kid), it made him feel all warm inside.

His mother smiled slightly. "If there's anything you need, don't even hesitate to come and wake me," she said. "Goodnight, Tsu-kun."

"Goodnight, mom."

__

A/N: Tune in next time, when I will be taking a peak into Hayato's head. It's certain to be an…interesting experience.


	3. The Boy on the Roof

Disclaimer: I don't own Reborn! or Hana Yori Dango.

A/N: Sorry for the really long wait. I promise the next chapter will be out more quickly.

**Chapter Three: The Boy on the Roof**

Tsuna awoke with a start, painfully aware of how practically his entire body hurt. It was frustrating: he was in too much pain to move, but he was also in too much pain to go back to sleep, so he was stuck just lying there with the uncomfortable feeling that he'd forgotten something very important.

In a flash of sudden, awful clarity, Tsuna remembered.

He had lost his fight with Romano, which meant that Kyoko was going to get a Red Note. Without taking the time to think about it, he shot out of bed, intent on somehow contacting Kyoko and begging her not to go to school.

He only made it as far as the top of the staircase before collapsing into a twitching heap of agony.

He must have made some kind of noise, because his mother was there a moment later. "Oh dear," she said, cheerfully. "What are you doing out of bed, Tsu-kun?"

"I...I have to..."

"None of that," admonished his mother, still cheerful. She bent down and maneuvered Tsuna's body so that he was resting his weight on her, and walked him back to his bed. Once he was tucked in again, she said, "I'll go get you your breakfast."

While his mother was gone, Tsuna felt a weight shifting on his bed, and found himself staring into a pair of wide, black eyes.

"Have you learned your lesson?" asked Reborn.

"I need to get stronger," said Tsuna, unable to keep the strain out of his voice.

The corners Reborn's mouth turned ever-so-slightly upward, which presumably meant he was pleased. Just then, Tsuna's mother came back, holding a tray of food. Rice porridge, from the smell of it. Tsuna's stomach growled.

Surprisingly, he felt slightly better once he had some food in his stomach.

___

The worry didn't dissipate, no matter how much Tsuna tried to distract himself. He tried reading some textbooks, but couldn't seem to focus enough to actually understand what the hell they were saying. Tsuna wasn't much of a recreational reader, but he ended up immersing himself in one his mother's pulp fiction novels.

Around late afternoon, Tsuna heard his door being opened, and looked up to find a stranger in suit. Thankfully, the stranger wasn't a baby. He was a foreigner, though.

"Is this the brat I'm supposed to be treating?" asked the man.

"It is," said Reborn, who had just entered the room as well.

The man looked bored. "I don't treat men," he said.

"You know who this boy is, Shamal. Given your current position, it would be unwise to refuse."

Shamal idly scratched his beard, looking even more put out. "Fine," he conceded, and walked over to Tsuna's bedside. "Heard you had a run-in with Hayato."

"Yeah," said Tsuna, wondering why the name was said so familiarly. He didn't ask.

Shamal took a minute to look at Tsuna's face, before reaching into his coat and pulling out a box. "You're in luck, kid. With injuries this minor, I'll be able to heal you up in no time." He then opened the box.

Tsuna heard a buzzing noise, felt something prick his arm, and passed out.

___

As it turned out, the worries that had been weighing on Tsuna's mind had been entirely justified.

Kyoko had indeed gone to school that day, and had indeed received a crisp new Red Note in her locker. She had then been dragged off and pelted with various different food products, and heckled mercilessly by a mob of students, some of whom she had thought to be friendly. Romano had not turned up to witness this time around, apparently trusting his underlings to properly humiliate her.

But Kyoko had not allowed herself to cry. She had stood resolutely and taken her punishment until the gaggle of jeering teenagers had finally gotten bored, at which point she had walked calmly to her locker, taken out her spare uniform, and headed off to clean herself up in the bathroom. It was there, while washing the flour off of her face, that she had allowed a few tears to roll down her cheeks. But she sniffed them back before she left, intent on being presentable. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her break.

There was a group of four boys waiting outside the bathroom for her, and they grabbed her before she even had time to think, dragging her off to a nearby science lab. Kyoko struggled, but to no avail, and was pushed roughly to the floor, one of the boys slamming a lab stool down so that she couldn't get up.

"Are you sure about this?" asked one of the boys, as Kyoko heard the distinct sound of a zipper. "I mean, rape is pretty extreme."

Kyoko felt her skirt being pulled up, and she whimpered against her will, tears leaking from her eyes.

"This girl is from some no-name family who got lucky," said another. "Nobody will give a shit."

She started struggling again, and a pair of hands held down both her legs. She felt a hand grasping at the elastic of her panties, and she screamed. Somebody covered her mouth.

"You're crowding," came a voice from nearby, coldly. "Get out."

"Hi-Hibari-sempai--"

"Get out or I'll bite you to death."

And just like that, Kyoko found herself able to move once again. She could hear her attackers scampering out the door like frightened animals. With shaking hands, she moved the stool, sat up, and smoothed down her crumpled uniform. "Thank you," she whispered, a few more tears making their way down her cheeks.

She looked up to find the dark-haired young man gazing down at her with supreme indifference. "Move," he instructed. Without really thinking about it, she stood up and moved to the side. Hibari then bent down and ran a finger over the spot where the stool had been slammed, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Herbivores who tarnish school property will be bitten to death."

When he removed his hand, Kyoko could see a black smudge on the ground. She bit her lip and said, "Thank you," once more.

Then, she left the lab, and decided that her father wouldn't mind if she came home early that day.

____

When Tsuna woke up the next morning, he felt so much better he could scarcely believe it. Sure, he was still a bit stiff, but at least walking was no longer an agonizing ordeal.

He got up, had a bath, ate breakfast, and headed off to school, all the while dreading what might happen once he got there. Of course, he couldn't have stayed at home, not with the way his parents were going to ridiculous lengths to keep him at Namimori. And certainly not with Reborn hanging around his house, who would do something to punish him for his disobedience--something sure to be just as painful as anything that he might get at school.

His thoughts were interrupted as he passed by Jindou High School, the school that he _should _have been attending. From the corner of his eye, he could see a crowd of students congregated near the school's entrance, their necks craning as they looked upwards at something. Tsuna followed suit, and saw a dark-haired figure standing on the edge of the school's roof, as if he was about to jump off. Suddenly, his own troubles melted away.

He knew this person. They had never been overly close, but they had been in the same class. Tsuna had been fond of him.

Without really thinking, he bounded past the crowd and into the school. He didn't know its layout, but figured that one of the fire escapes might take him where he needed to be. His stiffness was far more acute now that he was running up stairs, but he didn't allow himself to think about it.

Soon, he found himself on the roof, panting from the exertion. There was yet another group of students standing a good four meters away from the boy, shouting their various discouragements. "Yamamoto!" cried Tsuna, pushing past the crowd.

At the sound of Tsuna's voice, Yamamoto turned around. And, now that Tsuna was close enough, he could see that the other boy's arm was in a cast, and rested in a sling.

"Hey, Tsuna," said Yamamoto, giving him the slightest hint of a smile. "Long time no see."

"Y-yeah. Why are you, um, trying to...you know?"

Yamamoto looked down, his expression sad. "Haven't you ever felt like you've failed so much, that it's just better to die?"

Tsuna swallowed, feeling sympathy and fear twisting in his chest. "Yeah, sometimes," he said, and instantly felt bad. Now was not the time for honesty.

"So you understand my feelings."

"N-no!" Tsuna moved closer. "If you die now, it will be complete waste. Everybody messes up, but if you die, you can't get stronger."

Yamamoto looked down at his broken arm. "Anything I do now will be useless. The baseball gods have already abandoned me."

Tsuna couldn't believe his ears. He remembered that Yamamoto had been big on baseball when they'd been in middle school, but wasn't this taking it a bit too far? Some people in the crowd seemed to agree, and shouted as much. "E-even if they have," said Tsuna, suddenly a little angry, "isn't that selfish?"

"Selfish?"

"Yeah. You have family, right? And friends. Won't they be sad if you die? Killing yourself now would be selfish." Yamamoto looked at Tsuna blankly, and Tsuna felt his conviction drain away. "I...I shouldn't have said that. I'll go."

Just as he turned around, Tsuna felt something grabbing his shirt, and he was pulled back towards his old acquaintance. "Wait," said Yamamoto, but then his hand slackened.

With a sick feeling in his stomach, Tsuna turned back to see that Yamamoto must have lost his balance when he had grabbed him, and was falling from the balcony. It was then that Tsuna felt something warm hitting him in the back. For the briefest of moments, there was the sensation of falling backwards, the realization of _I'm going to die without having saved Yamamoto. _It took but a second for these to be replaced with a familiar sense of all-encompassing determination.

"REBORN! I'LL SAVE YAMAMOTO WITH MY DYING WILL!"

With that, Tsuna dived off the edge of the roof, paying no heed to the startled gasps of the students behind him. Somehow, he managed to accelerate through the air and catch Yamamoto in his arms, and, even more ridiculously, land safely on his feet. He set Yamamoto down, miraculously retaining his balance in the process.

And then, the determination waned, leaving panic and fear in its wake.

"Are you alright?" asked Tsuna, unable to keep his voice from cracking embarrassingly.

"Yeah," said Yamamoto, smiling weakly. "That was pretty amazing, Tsuna."

"I don't even know what happened." Even if he was starting to have his suspicions.

"It was still amazing," said Yamamoto, slinging his good arm around Tsuna's shoulders. "Thanks."

"You shouldn't--"

"You stopped me from doing something really selfish today," said Yamamoto, cutting him off. "So thanks. I seriously owe you one."

Tsuna wasn't sure how to feel about that. Yamamoto had recovered from his apparent depression far too quickly for it to be believable, and yet Tsuna was fairly sure that he was being one hundred percent sincere. It was difficult to figure out which of his instincts was more trustworthy, and it didn't help that he himself had yet to fully recover from the shock of what had just transpired.

He was starting to come down from the adrenaline rush--which was evidently independent of whatever force had allowed him to break the laws of physics--and, with a clearer head, he remembered his purpose for going to school in the first place.

"I need to go," said Tsuna. "Are you sure that you're alright?"

"Positive," said Yamamoto, removing his arm to rub the back of his neck. "Hey, why don't you come over to my dad's restaurant tonight? I'll ask him to make you some really awesome sushi."

Tsuna wondered if he was still going to be alive by then. "Uh...sure. Where is it?"

Yamamoto gave him the directions and said goodbye. Then, Tsuna left for his own school, painfully aware that he was now late as well as doomed.

_____

Tsuna could feel his heart beating in his throat, which was pretty much the only thing stopping him from making an embarrassing noise every time he passed a stray student glaring at him in the hallway. Luckily, class had already started, which meant that most of the student body was occupied. Unluckily, it meant that his arrival in class would be made even more conspicuous. And the brief delay in his humiliation was doing little to calm his nerves.

In attempt to distract himself from his impending doom, he began to think as hard as he could about anything and everything else. Was Yamamoto going to be alright? Was Kyoko going to be alright? Just who the hell was Reborn, anyway? And what was it that had given him the ability to jump from the three-story high building and land without so much as a scratch?

This method proved effective, although it made him feel anxious in an entirely different way. It wasn't until he felt himself collide with something warm and solid that he realized just how much he'd been spacing out. Automatically, he said, "I'm sorry," knowing instinctively that he must have bumped into somebody. His cheeks burned, and he bowed his head, hoping against hope that whoever it was wouldn't recognize him.

No such luck.

"You just keep doing things to piss me off, don't you?"

As Tsuna's stomach plummeted into his toes, a small voice in the back of his head was saying how he should have been expecting something like this. Oddly enough, this voice sounded eerily similar to Reborn.

"And here I thought I'd run another piece of lowborn trash out of this school."

Tsuna couldn't bring himself to look up, let alone respond.

"I'm surprised you have enough balls to show up here again, since your little slut sure didn't."

"Don't--" he began, fists clenching at his sides.

"Don't what?" Tsuna felt himself being grabbed by the front of his uniform and slammed into the wall. "Speak up, fucker."

The impact winded him so badly that his head snapped up involuntarily, and he was confronted with Romano Hayato's snarling face. "Don't talk about Kyoko-chan like that," Tsuna gasped out.

Romano leaned in closer. "You fucking her or something?" His snarl transformed into a smirk. "I bet she was the first girl with low enough standards to do it with you."

"It's not like that," said Tsuna.

For a minute or two Romano said nothing, giving Tsuna a once-over. It made Tsuna feel distinctly uncomfortable. "You healed fast," said Romano, frowning.

Tsuna said nothing.

Making a sound of disgust, Romano let go off his collar, and Tsuna slid down to the floor, breathing hard. Romano shoved his hands into his pockets and stalked off, but stopped before he left earshot. "You made a mistake by coming back here," he growled. "And I'm gonna enjoy every second of watching you break." Then, he continued on his way, an aura of malevolence clinging to him like some kind of demonic Velcro.

Tsuna found that he was trembling. He was so on edge, in fact, that he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a familiar voice say, "Ciaossu."

_____

Romano Hayato was pissed off. There was just something about that kid--whatever the fuck his name was--that made him want to punch something. Preferable the kid's stupid, girly-looking face. Romano still wasn't sure how the kid had managed to get that punch in, and that wasn't even what pissed him off so much.

There was a spark in the kid's eyes--a spark that just wasn't _right_. For some reason, the kid insisted on spouting chivalrous bullshit, even when he was staring a beating straight in the face. The same went for that girlfriend of his.

At least one of them seemed to have broken. Good. Divide and conquer was the name of the game. Romano wanted the kid to break, too; he wanted to see the spark in those eyes extinguished.

Of course, nobody needed to know just how _bad _he wanted it. Bad enough that he had waited to see whether or not the kid would show up. Why should he give a shit about such a weak, pathetic little commoner?

The answer was simple: he shouldn't. And that was why Romano resolved that what's-his-name would be begging to be expelled by the end of the week.

That's just the way it was gonna be.


End file.
